Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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247. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 183 of 2 November 2016, his views on the designation of Phibsborough, as defined by the boundaries of the Phibsborough local area plan in October 2008 as a local electoral area for the purposes of the local elections scheduled to take place in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35817/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, provides for the division of each county, city or city and county into local electoral areas.

As set out in the reply to Question No. 183 of 2 November 2016, the most recent review of local electoral areas was carried out from November 2012 to May 2013 by a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. The recommendations of that committee for Dublin City, including the Phibsboro area, were given legal effect in the City of Dublin Local Electoral Areas Order 2014. Any changes to be made to Dublin City local electoral areas before the 2019 local elections would be a matter for a boundary committee in the first instance. In accordance with the provisions of Part V of the Local Government Act 1991, any boundary committee established to review local electoral areas in advance of the 2019 local elections will be independent in the performance of its functions and must have regard to any submissions made to it in the course of its work.

As stated in question No. 183 of 2 November 2016 there is a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Governmentto consider reducing the size of the local electoral areas. This will be examined in the preparation of a report for Government and the Oireachtas by mid-2017 on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability.